Review: Chili’s Grill & Bar Restaurant

I haven’t eaten at Chili’s Grill & Bar Restaurant since I moved to LA from the East Coast 7 years ago! Mainly because there isn’t a Chili’s near by. Chili’s marketing team approached That’s IT Mommy about visiting a Chili’s to try out their new menu. My all time favorite Chili’s entrée is Country Fried Steak! But I told myself that I’d try something different.

My family took a short road trip to the Manhattan Beach location. Again, there isn’t one in the Hollywood area so we decided to head to the beach! We went during off hours to avoid the crowds and traffic.

When we arrived at Chili’s we were promptly seated and did not have to wait for a server to help us start our visit. It felt so special taking the family out on a terrific taste test dinner. We had a hard time deciding what to order, even after careful review of the new menu, So many choices! We finally decided on the following:

Hubby: Shiner Bock BBQ Burger

Me: Crispy Chicken and Crispy Shrimp tacos

Teagan: Pepper Pals Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Desert: Chili’s Chocolate Chip Paradise

Drink: World’s Freshest Margarita

After we placed our order we came across the nutritional guide inside the drink and dessert menu on the table. Other than store bought food, we never really think about nutritional information especially when eating out at the bigger chain restaurants. Most chain restaurants offer healthy options but most meals tend to be high calories. I was very surprised by the sodium content in some of the Chili’s entrees! I’ve been watching my weight so I was concerned about the tacos I had ordered. It’s easy to justify high calories, sodium and sugar in foods especially when it’s a special occasion. And this was a special night out courtesy of Chili’s. I do appreciate that Chili’s offers nutritional information at the table. Customers can make decisions based on this nutritional information. But you have to know where to find it.

Before our meals arrived, my husband enjoyed his World’s Freshest Margarita…and that it was! Soon our meals were promptly served and all our food was just the right temperature. My husband tried the new Shiner Bock BBQ Burger. It’s topped with Shiner Bock BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese and crispy onion strings! His meal came with fries and he thought it was delicious. The Shiner Bock BBQ sauce was sweet and tangy and complemented the burger that happened to be cooked medium-well. The crispy onion strings integrated a fun crunch into every bite! My tacos were okay, but a little on the salty side. I preferred the chicken taco to the fish and should’ve taken a closer look at the menu. The tacos are drizzled with ranch dressing which isn’t a favorite of mine. My daughter ate most of her Pepper Pals Grilled Sandwich and steamed broccoli. She’s a sandwich girl and is easy to please. We all had a taste and agreed the chicken was tasty and not very salty. Teagan didn’t have any complaints and she also enjoyed her decent sized orange juice.

Our waiter Matt was attentive and knew all the right times to check in on us. That’s always key to good service. It was even better when he delivered us a slice of Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream for dessert. Say good-bye to the calorie counter! We split it three ways and enjoyed every delicious bite after bite! In the end, the bill was much less than we expected which meant a nice fat tip for our waiter Matt!

What a fabulous meal and fun family night eating out. We would definitely visit Chili’s again if one were closer. Next time I won’t order the tacos. I’ll have to splurge and go back to my favorite Country Fried Steak!

Join Chili’s email club and get a coupon for Free Chips and Queso!

Chili’s is holding a promotion called “Shout Out to Eat Out.” Tell Chili’s why you don’t want to cook tonight, and dinner could be on them. Visit http://www.shoutouttoeatout.com/ for more info!

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy received a $50 gift certificate from Chili’s and their marketing team. This gift certificate was used to facilitate this review.
 This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
 The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.